The Army of Aicha at the Battle of Djamal in 656, illustration from 'Hamla-i-Haydari', by...

The Battle of the Camel took place at Basra, Iraq on 7 November 656. The beginning of the Battle of the Camel started as Kharjites spread false rumors to all the companions of Muhammed including his wife A'isha. A'isha heard about the killing of Uthman (644-656), the third Caliph. At the time she was on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and it was on this journey that she became so angered by his unavenged death, and the naming of Ali as the fourth caliph, that she took up arms against those supporting Ali. She gained support of the big city of Basra, and for the first time, Muslims took up arms against each other. This battle is now known as the First Fitna, or Muslim civil war.